The Raiders say offensive lineman Rodger Saffold failed a physical because of a torn labrum and opted to send him on his way rather than pay him $42.5 million over five years.

The St. Louis Rams say Saffold's shoulder is good enough to play, and they signed him for $31.7 million over five years.

Apparently, both teams are right, according to ESPN analyst Andrew Brandt, a former executive with the Green Bay Packers.

"There is no universal medical physical given in the NFL," Brandt said Thursday in a phone interview. "Every team has got its own thing and its own level of tolerance and risk."

Brandt said it isn't unusual at the NFL draft for one team to have taken a player off its board for physical reasons while another will give a second- or third-round grade.

With Saffold's deal becoming public before the physical, and then with his return to the Rams, the Raiders took it on the chin in terms of bad publicity -- especially since they had allowed incumbent left tackle Jared Veldheer to sign with the Arizona Cardinals.

Davis, this newspaper has learned, was indeed dismayed when the diagnosis was relayed to him. However, it was general manager Reggie McKenzie, upon recommendation from Davis, who made the final determination.

Saffold's injury dates back to the preseason, when he sustained a dislocated shoulder Aug. 8 but managed to play.

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Alan Herman, the agent for Saffold, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "We had him examined prior to the season, and he was fine. The Rams physicians thought he was fine, and he played great."

Saffold passed an exit exam after the season and assumed he would pass in Oakland as well.

The Raiders examination determined Saffold would need surgery to repair the torn labrum, keeping him out three months. McKenzie reluctantly told Herman and fellow agent Jared Fox the deal was off.

"He apologized profusely," Herman said. "I shared my displeasure in very strong terms. Jared and I were sitting there in disbelief." Brandt, familiar with the process in Green Bay, said having players fail a physical with one team and pass in another is not an unusual occurrence, the difference being it happened this time in a very public way.

"What happens is the agent gets the (contract) numbers out to their preferred media source and the player hasn't even been there," Brandt said. "Then a day later the player will take a physical and actually sign the contract. And it's not a deal until the physical is passed."